POSTED BY: Rita Gomes

Recycling Through Street Art

2nd Jul, 2018

Recycling Through Street Art

Street art is no longer seen as illegal or tacky, splashed on buildings around the city. It has become an art movement that is growing bigger and bigger by the moment. I must confess, I’m a sucker for street art. When I visit a different city I wander the streets to see what hidden canvases I can find.

When I moved to Dublin, I realised the city had a piece of street art that reminds me of home by Portuguese Street Artist Artur Bordalo II. It’s hard to miss the giant red squirrel on the corner of Tara Street. And if you look closely, you’ll notice textures made out of garbage and waste materials – Bordalos signature, using the city’s rubbish to create a 3D effect.

Having created these sculptures in over 24 countries, he collects garbage and waste to create these majestic giant animals to shine awareness on what we’re doing to them. For Dublin, he chose the endangered red squirrel because it is a species under threat from deforestation and a virus carried by the grey squirrel where its population is outnumbered six to one.

I belong to a generation that is extremely consumerist, materialist and greedy. With the production of things at its highest, the production of “waste” and unused objects is also at its highest. “Waste” is quoted because of its abstract definition: “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. I create, recreate, assemble and develop ideas with end-of-life material and try to relate it to sustainability, ecological and social awareness.


I’m fascinated by the way he uses his art to express his opinions and beliefs in a way that is beautiful yet meaningful.

 

RITA GOMES – GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Rita, newbie to the team, came all the way from Portugal to spice things up. Always with her mini cup of espresso in her hand and selling her country as the best in the world. She’s curious and adventurous, always striving to learn, absorb what the world has to offer and input it into her work.